The Union ministry of home affairs has ordered states to conduct drills at 244 districts across 27 states and eight Union Territories, on May 7 due to the "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Border states such as Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat are among those where the security drill will take place.
Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Surat, and Vadodara are among the prominent cities where a Category-I drill will take place. Bengaluru drill falls under Category-II.
Category-I suggests high priority, category-II is medium priority, and category-III is low priority, according to the ministry.
The BJP has asked all its MPs to participate in the drill as ordinary citizens and cooperate with the local administration. All states have also been requested to work with senior office-bearers and district presidents to ensure smooth execution.
The BJP said, "Appeal to all citizens, BJP Karyakartas and leaders, students to come forward and volunteer... Your participation will make all the difference." Party MPs and MLAs are expected to be a part of the nationwide exercise.
“In the current geo-political scenario, new and complex threats/challenges have emerged, hence, it would be prudent that optimum civil defence preparedness in the states/UTs is maintained at all times,” the letter from the directorate general fire service, Civil Defence and Home Guards said.
The authorities in all states will involve students of educational institutions, employees of government and private organisations, hospital staff, railway and metro officials, besides uniformed personnel of the police, paramilitary and defence forces, while conducting the drills.
According to a home ministry communication, the measures to be taken during the drills include the operationalisation of air-raid warning sirens, training civilians on civil-defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a "hostile attack" and cleaning of bunkers and trenches.
The other measures are provisions for crash-blackout measures, early camouflaging of vital plants and installations and updating and rehearsing evacuation plans.
The drills also include the operationalisation of hotline and radio-communication links with the Indian Air Force (IAF), testing the functionality of control rooms and shadow control rooms.
There have been rising tensions in relations between India and Pakistan after the April 22 terror attack in south Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to pursue the perpetrators of the attack and those who took part in its conspiracy to the "ends of the earth" to inflict punishment on them "beyond their imagination".